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West Berkshire Branch of CAMRA

Launch of Two Cocks Brewery Gibbet Ale at
the Crown and Garter, Inkpen.

The evening of Wednesday 7 March was voting time at the Crown &
Garter, Inkpen Common. The ballot was to pick a version of a beer
brewed by the Two Cocks Brewery as a house ale for the pub to be
named Gibbet Ale.

There was less space and more people in the Crown & Garter than
usual as the table opposite the bar had been requisitioned as an
extra bar with casks of beer from Two Cocks Brewery: 1643 Cavalier,
a golden ale; 1643 Roundhead, a bitter and 1643 Puritan, a new
stout. There were more people as news of the tasting event had
obviously spread. As well as the locals and a group from West
Berkshire CAMRA there were some North Hampshire CAMRA members who
had travelled from Basingstoke to take part.

New arrivals were warmly greeted by Mike and Phil, the two brewers,
before being directed to the busy main bar. Each person was then
served two small glasses of a golden bitter from handpumps with
temporary Gibbet ale pumpclips marked ‘1’ or ‘2’. The important task
was now to taste both beers and mark on a slip of paper the favoured
number before placing it in the ballot box on the bar. When it
seemed that no more people could be packed in to the pub, landlady
Gill Hern gave a short talk to give the background for the name of
the new beer.

The gibbet, standing on the top of nearby Combe Down, was only used
once, in 1676, to hang George Broomham and Dorothy Newman. The two
bodies were then laid out in ‘Gibbet Barn’ at the Crown and Garter
Inn. It was this historical association that led to the name and
not, as one customer jokingly suggested, due to any connection with
a hangover! Gill also thanked Chris Keene, a local professional
photographer, who provided the atmospheric pumpclip image of Combe
Gibbet.

Phil then gave a brief talk about Two Cocks Brewery which began
brewing at Christmas Farm, Enborne, in October 2011, using water
from a new borehole and wild hops from the hedgerows. The farm is on
the site of a Roundhead encampment in 1643. Michael then mentioned
that the difference between the two versions of Gibbet ale was due
to the slightly different combination of malts used with aromatic
malt added for ‘2’. Finally, Phil advised that Christmas Farm is now
licensed to sell their beers in bottles or 5 litre aluminium kegs.
Everyone was then invited to sample their other beers from the casks
that had been racked that morning.

Meanwhile, the votes were being counted and it was announced that
‘1’ had beaten ‘2’ by 43 to 33 votes. The temporary ‘Gibbet 1’
covering was now removed to reveal Chris Keene’s pumpclip design
underneath.
‘1’ had been Geoff Grayer’s choice but the brewers told him that
they preferred ‘2’. Geoff suggested that either version would have
been a worthy choice for the new Gibbet Ale.

Photographer Chris Keene by the pumpclip he designed.

Gill has found that since the launch, Gibbet Ale, a 3.8% ABV session
ale, has proved very popular at the Crown & Garter. A visit to this
historic pub, featured in the Good Beer Guide, the only place to
find Gibbet Ale, is strongly recommended.